DDEX1-04 Dues for the Dead (5e)

Dues for the Dead

For years, the Most Solemn Order of the Silent Shroud has tended the dead at Valinghen graceyard, providing them a peaceful eternal rest. Now, that rest has been disturbed by a necromancer seeking out a key to re-activate the Pool of Radiance.

Ran this last night at my local game store. I would post this as a review but the adventure was purchased by the store.

In many ways, this is one of my favorite types of adventures for several reasons:

1. There's a straightforward goal, but resolving the goal provides a hook into the larger arc for the season.
2. The rooms are interesting and well-characterized, providing enough detail for the DM to expand upon but without reducing everything to box text
3. The social encounter ties in effectively to the theme of the setting and the module, in what would otherwise be a pure dungeon crawl
4. The simplicity of the combat encounters make it a good way to introduce new players to 5e. The monsters are generally easy to hit yet each has a small twist to introduce new concepts to newer players (Con saves on ghouls, Undead Fortitude on zombies, bludgeoning vulnerability on skeletons).

My negative thoughts about it are pretty standard:

1. the DM-facing...See more writing is often poor ("For lack of a better phrase, the catacombs are, for the most part, as silent as the grave." - shoot me now)
2. Season 8 rules generally dampen the party's appetite for exploring risky rooms. there is no extra treasure to pick up, so why bother? sure, maybe one or two party members are intrigued by a particular room, but most of the party will favor moving on.
3. As always happens with low-level undead encounters, the combat challenge is extremely uneven depending on whether the party has access to turn undead and bludgeoning damage; or whether the elves end up in melee with the ghouls.
4. The written combat adjustments should really try upgrading the undead more often than simply adding more. Suggesting adding ghasts, for example, or even a wight or mummy.
5. The final fight is far too easy (as written, the wizard runs away almost immediately), and the monsters aren't particularly thematic. The cultist makes sense for the purpose of the seasonal connection, but the mod-as-written makes it difficult for the party to get any information out of them. The knight, again, makes sense from the perspective of "the wizard has a bodyguard" but it just means the final battle is dominated by a single melee combatant with no particular tricks, and the kobold stinkpot shtick is pointless. The cultist connection is extremely weak with single Cultist statblock and no likely way for the party to get any information out of him. There are zombies but finally Cassyt is willing to turn them, which likely puts several of them out of the fight. I would recommend rewriting the enemy roster for this fight but preserving the escaping wizard.
6. The maps are poor quality and the text references nonexistent lettering on the maps - there is no "14a"/"14b" on either map. The inclusion of the "short cut" to skip most of the mod is silly - there's no particular reason for this to be here.

My NSeptember 21, 2018 10:21 pm UTC

It's largely a dungeon crawl without a lot of ways the characters can go off track unless they split the party and everyone knows how well that generally works. The shortcut to the end is a regrettable inclusion, especially if you have a player who has played before and decides they want to blitz the map in 90 minutes or less despite what the rest of the group wants. Disruptive players aside, this should be a fun, combat heavy module. Season 8 rules water down some of the choices into: why bother, we can't keep any gold from doing X if we wanted to.

Charles WJuly 28, 2018 1:29 am UTC

PURCHASER

Fun dungeon crawl with memorable characters. There’s some agency to the last fight but the players may not realize it until it’s too late. Cassyt is fun to RP and my players really enjoyed having her around.

Juan AJuly 14, 2018 4:50 am UTC

I really liked this mod, Doomguide Yovir sets the precedence of how Doomguides act in social encounters: dour and reserved; and then theres Cassyt who is by far my favorite npc of this mod. A sunny, bubbly, and talkative pseduo-grave cleric made my party love her with the mentality of "oh Cassyt, never change" whenever I had her begin word vomiting lore of the catacombs to the party.

A suggestion to anyone planning on running this, really play up the horror of the necropolis. It will honestly be tempting for your party to explore but if time doesnt allow for the party to spend a while hunting monsters in the city, really play up the "monster lurk in the dark" and possibly have Cassyt mention to the party "Doomguide Yovir plans to take care of the Necropolis personally...." to try and help move the story along.

roki KMay 28, 2018 11:43 pm UTC

As a player, I quite enjoyed this. My favorite part was exploring the city of the dead and encountering the skeleton family.
As a DM, I ran this for a Tier 1 table whose DM didn't show. It only needed about 15 minutes of prep...
Fairly linear, but it still provided challenge and a few twists for the players.

This is a fun one to have in your pocket for emergencies.
4/5

Nathan DApril 28, 2018 10:04 pm UTC

Dues for the Dead is a great mod to introduce newer players to the game. Here are some recommendations for running it:

-Be sure to have Yovir emphasize to the players that there could be tens of thousands of corpses in the catacombs, and that the city faced an existential threat from the undead in the past. This should help raise the stakes so players will care more about getting to the bottom of the situation.

-When I run this mod, I remove the secret passage to the end of the dungeon. It could also be kept but skip less of the dungeon.

-I usually have the Goggles of Night be a belonging of Sister Bethel (one of the Kelemvorites that got eaten and was found). I think it helps explain why Yovir randomly has such a magic item.

-This is a great adventure to get players to think about their character's morality, but the "default" way of running it doesn't have the moral shades of gray that could make it more interesting. The vast majority of treasure in...See more this adventure is in the form of items that belong to the dead, and Cassyt intervenes to discourage players from taking any of it if she is around. I use the encounter with the Welcomers as a way to oppose the Kelemvorites moral point of view. The Welcomers bring up that the treasure in the catacombs belongs mostly to rich people that took their valuables to the grave instead of helping others with it, and that it is easy for Cassyt to be self-righteous about the property rights of the dead when she always knows where her next meal will come from.

-Once players get to the necropolis, the mod is unclear as to how long they need to spend looking to find the Red Wizard's Lair. I would consider adding an investigation/insight/arcana/history check after each hour the adventures spend to see if they are able to find a clue to track down where the lair is. Cassyt can also make it clear that the players are being paid to find the source of the undead, not necessarily having to kill every individual undead.

-The main antagonist disappears in a single round and doesn't have to say anything. Since he is supposed to be the "big bad", I leave evil stuff in his lair like dissected corpses, evil looking books, and creepy art.

David BMarch 27, 2018 4:54 am UTC

One of the weaker modules in season 1. It was a pretty straight forward dungeon crawl with little to distinguish it.

January 29, 2018 8:29 pm UTC

This is a pretty middle-of-the-road dungeon crawl. It's been a while since I ran the adventure, but I don't remember any stand-out parts, either good or bad. I think the only in-game complaint was that the catacombs are described as being very extensive, but the map was tiny (as would fit a one-shot adventure).

Stars: 3/5

Denis COctober 07, 2017 8:36 am UTC

Bought it on Dms guild login. I don't know how to merge them.

Stars: 3/5

My least favorite in the Tier 1 adventures of season 1. I can't describe why but it just didn't feel good. The end fight is a total drag and makes the players feel liek there is nothing they can do unless they are highly over leveled. I know other DMs loved playing it but i just couldn't get into it. Maybe take my opinion with a grain of salt. I would still play it agin for a group doing the whole season but definitaly not as a stand alone.

Joseph DSeptember 13, 2017 9:24 pm UTC

This is by far my favorite module in this story line and tier. The mission into the tombs to investigate the bones is the perfect way to introduce players to the pillars of adventure.
They interact with the Doomguide, puzzle their way through things and fight the baddies!
5/5 stars
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Anthony JJuly 16, 2017 9:38 pm UTC

PURCHASER

4/5 Stars, this Module is a great way to get your PCs started and introduce the idea that NPCs can escape. The dungeon allows players to have use of tactics by funneling NPCs into the hallways. I think this was a great module overall and recommend it for newer players to learn concepts of DnD.

JASON DApril 07, 2017 4:58 am UTC

The classic Moonsea setting of Phlan, a crypt filled with undead, and who is behind it all but a... Well, you'll have to see for yourself! However, this is a classic mini dungeon crawl, filled with combat encounters, pitfalls, and eerie interactions. Well worth the four hours of gameplay and lots of fun!

This is a very solid dungeon crawl, which introduces some important plot elements and NPCs for the larger Season One AL storyline. The option of helping or hindering the Welcomers was a great addition, and the associated story awards made my players fe [...]

This is both the first AL module I played, and the first I DMed, a couple years later. It's pretty standard, and if it didn't have Cassyt to act as a sort of tour guide, it would pretty much just be an inexplicably weird crypt. Her inclusion helps to [...]

Dues for the Dead is a fun dungeon crawl with some good opportunities for role-play. There are also some areas where strategic and creative thinking are rewarded. An interesting aspect of this story is that the Kelemvorites strongly discourage wanton [...]

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